NEW YORK, Jan. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Aeropostale, Inc. (NYSE: ARO), a mall-based specialty retailer of casual and active apparel for young women and men, and teen not-for-profit DoSomething.org announced their fifth annual "Teens for Jeans" campaign. The campaign raises awareness about youth homelessness by encouraging teens to donate the number one requested item at shelters: jeans.
Anyone can participate by bringing gently worn jeans, any size and any brand, to any Aeropostale or P.S. from Aeropostale store in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. All donations will be distributed to local youth community shelters. As a thank you, for each pair donated, Aeropostale will give an additional 25% off a new pair of jeans, though no purchase is necessary. To jump-start donations, Aeropostale is donating over 10,000 brand new pairs of jeans for the campaign. The program runs January 16, 2012 to February 12, 2012.
"Youth homelessness is an ongoing epidemic," says Scott Birnbaum, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Ecommerce at Aeropostale. "As we go into our 5th year of Teens for Jeans, we have been able to donate over 1.5 million pairs of jeans to teens in need. Aero is proud to raise awareness about this cause and will continue to encourage people to join in the fight against youth homelessness."
"Jeans are pretty much the best piece of clothing invented ever," says Nancy Lublin, Chief Executive Officer and "Chief Old Person" at DoSomething.org. "Everyone has a favorite pair, but teens also love to update their wardrobe. By asking teens to clean out their closets, last year we were able to give a pair of jeans to one in every three homeless teens."
This year's campaign launched with a Public Service Announcement from pop-star Demi Lovato and a party in Los Angeles, CA with host Kristen Bell. Other celebrities supporting this year's program include Cody Simpson, Julianne Hough, Brendan Robinson and BooBoo Stewart. Previous years' have been supported by Rachel Bilson, Hayden Christensen, Chace Crawford, Justin Long, Ashley Greene, Matt Lanter and Jessica Lowndes. Additionally, Teen.com joined DoSomething.org to help market the initiative.
"Being a part of this year's5th annual Teens for Jeans is such an honor. I hope I can help to encourage thousands of teens to clean out their closets and donate their jeans to help homeless teens in need," says Demi Lovato.
In addition to store drop offs, Aeropostale and DoSomething.org are encouraging schools to take action by running collection drives. The school that collects the most jeans will win $5,000 and new jeans for every student in their school.
For more information and to sign up a school please visit www.teensforjeans.com.
About Aeropostale, Inc.
Aeropostale, Inc. is a mall-based, specialty retailer of casual apparel and accessories, principally targeting 14 to 17 year-old young women and men through its Aeropostale® stores and 4 to 12 year-old kids through its P.S. from Aeropostale' stores. The Company provides customers with a focused selection of high-quality, active-oriented, fashion and fashion basic merchandise at compelling values. Aeropostale® maintains control over its proprietary brands by designing, sourcing, marketing and selling all of its own merchandise. Aeropostale® products can only be purchased in its Aeropostale stores and online at www.aeropostale.com. P.S. from Aeropostale' products can be purchased in P.S. from Aeropostale' stores and online at www.ps4u.com. The Company currently operates 918 Aeropostale stores in 50 states and Puerto Rico, 68 Aeropostale stores in Canada and 72 P.S. from Aeropostale stores in 21 states.
About DoSomething.org
We love teens. They are creative, active, wired...and frustrated that our world is so messed up. DoSomething.org harnesses that awesome energy and unleashes it on causes teens care about. Almost every week, we launch a new national campaign. The call to action is always something that has a real impact and doesn't require money, an adult, or a car. With a goal of 5 million active members by 2015, DoSomething.org is one of the largest organizations in the US for teens and social change. Join us at www.DoSomething.org.
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Company Contact:
Kenneth Ohashi/Vice President, Investor & Media Relations (646) 452-1876 or kohashi@aeropostale.com
Media Contact:
Alexandria DeVillers, Public Relations
(646) 485-5415 or adevillers@aeropostale.com
SOURCE Aeropostale, Inc.
